The Maldonado Miracle

HOME SCHOOL BOOK REVIEW






Book: The Maldonado Miracle



Author: Theodore Taylor 



Publisher: Clarion Books, republished 2003



ISBN-13: 978-0385084567 Hardcover



ISBN-10: 0385084560 Hardcover



ISBN-13: 978-0152050368 Paperback



ISBN-10: 0152050361 Paperback



Website(s): http://AvonBooks.com (publisher)



Language level:  3



(1=nothing objectionable; 2=common euphemisms and/or childish slang terms; 3=some cursing and/or profanity; 4=a lot of cursing and/or profanity; 5=obscenity and/or vulgarity)



Recommended reading level: Ages 8 – 12, but probably better for ages 12 and up



Rating: **** 4 stars



(5 stars=EXCELLENT; 4 stars=GOOD; 3 stars=FAIR; 2 stars=POOR; 1 star=VERY POOR; no stars=NOT RECOMMENDED)



Category: General Youth Fiction



Reviewed by Wayne S. Walker



Disclosure:  Many publishers, literary agents, and/or authors provide free copies of their books in exchange for an honest review without requiring a positive opinion.  Any books donated to Home School Book Review for review purposes are in turn donated.  No other compensation has been received for the reviews posted on Home School Book Review.



For more information e-mail [email protected]



Website: https://homeschoolbookreviewblog.wordpress.com



     Taylor,Theodore.   The Maldonado Miracle (Published in 1973 by Doubleday and Co. Inc., a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group Inc.,1540 Broadway, New York City, NY  10036; republished in 1986 by Avon Camelot Books, a division of The Hearst Corporation, 1350 Avenue of the Americas, New York City, NY). Twelve-year-old Jose Maldonado-Alvarez lives with his mongrel dog Sanchez in the Mexican village of Colnett.  Nine months ago, Jose’s mother died at Del Carmen Hospital in Ensenada.  Four months ago, his father, Hector Maldonado-Alvarez, usually called just Maldonado, left to work in the United States, leaving Jose on his own in Mexico.  Jose crosses the border illegally to join his father in California, but when it’s time for father and son to reunite, things go terribly wrong.



     The twelve-year-old Mexican’s stay at a migrant worker camp at San Ramon to wait for Maldonado turns into a nightmare, forcing him to flee for his life. Hiding out in a church seems a wise thing to do until the blood dripping from his wounded shoulder landing on a statue of Christ kick-starts a media frenzy because everyone thinks the statue itself is bleeding, and this accidental “miracle” threatens the future of the entire town.  Will Jose and his father ever be united?  Does the truth about the so-called miracle come out?  And what happens to Jose because he is in the United States illegally? This is an excellent story for studying Hispanic history and learning about the very difficult life of an immigrant.  References to drinking beer and wine occur.



     Also the “d” and “h” words are used occasionally, and the phrase “Good Lord” is used as an interjection.  Author Theodore Taylor has written several good books with interesting stories, but in many of them he evidently felt that he just had to include a little cursing or swearing.  This is unfortunate and disappointing.  This riveting story of desperation and faith inspired the September 2003 Showtime movie The Maldonado Miracle , directed by Salma Hayek.  It is always interesting to see how different people react to a book.  One reviewer wrote, “In my opinion this book is fantastic,” while another said that it “is not a spectacular piece of work.”  I found it enjoyable because the plot is good and the characters of Jose, Giron, and Father Lebeon are fairly well developed. The book does raise some issues about illegal aliens.